Statue of Liberty - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.com Statue of Liberty A+E Networks Introduction The Statue of Liberty was a joint effort between France and the United States, intended to commemorate the lasting friendship between the peoples of the two nations. The French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi created the statue itself out of sheets of hammered copper, while Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, the man behind the famed Eiffel Tower, designed the statue’s steel framework. The Statue of Liberty was then given to the United States and erected atop an American-designed pedestal on a small island in Upper New York Bay, now known as Liberty Island, and dedicated by President Grover Cleveland in 1886. Over the years, the statue stood tall as millions of immigrants arrived in America via nearby Ellis Island; in 1986, it underwent an extensive renovation in honor of the centennial of its dedication. Today, the Statue of Liberty remains an enduring symbol of freedom and democracy, as well as one of the world’s most recognizable landmarks.

Google Origins of the Statue of Liberty Around 1865, as the American Civil War drew to a close, the French historian Edouard de Laboulaye proposed that France create a statue to give to the United States in celebration of that nation’s success in building a viable democracy. The sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, known for largescale sculptures, earned the commission; the goal was to design the sculpture in time for the centennial of the Declaration of Independence in 1876. The project would be a joint effort between the two countries–the French people were responsible for the statue and its assembly, while the Americans would build the pedestal on which it would stand–and a symbol of the friendship between their peoples. Did You Know? The base of the Statue of Liberty's pedestal contains exhibits on the monument's history, including the original 1886 torch. Visitor access to the Statue of Liberty's torch was halted for good after German operatives set off an explosion on the nearby Black Tom peninsula in July 1916, during World War I. Due to the need to raise funds for the statue, work on the sculpture did not begin until 1875.

Bartholdi’s massive creation, titled “Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World,” depicted a woman holding a torch in her raised right hand and a tablet in her left, upon which was engraved “July 4, 1776,” the adoption date of the Declaration of Independence. Bartholdi, who was said to have modeled the woman’s face after that of his mother, hammered large copper sheets to create the statue’s “skin” (using a technique called repousse). To create the skeleton on which the skin would be assembled, he called on Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, designer of Paris’ Eiffel Tower . Along with Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc, Eiffel built a skeleton out of iron pylon and steel that allowed the copper skin to move independently, a necessary condition for the strong winds it would endure in the chosen location of New York Harbor. Statue of Liberty: Assembly and Dedication While work went on in France on the actual statue, fundraising efforts continued in the United States for the pedestal, including contests, benefits and exhibitions. Near the end, the leading New York newspaperman Joseph Pulitzer used his paper, the World, to raise the last necessary funds.

Designed by the American architect Richard Morris Hunt, the statue’s pedestal was constructed inside the courtyard of Fort Wood, a fortress built for the War of 1812 and located on Bedloe’s Island, off the southern tip of Manhattan in Upper New York Bay. In 1885, Bartholdi completed the statue, which was disassembled, packed in more than 200 crates, and shipped to New York, arriving that June aboard the French frigate Isere. Over the next four months, workers reassembled the statue and mounted it on the pedestal; its height reached 305 feet (or 93 meters), including the pedestal. On October 28, 1886, President Grover Cleveland officially dedicated the Statue of Liberty in front of thousands of spectators. The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island In 1892, the U.S. government opened a federal immigration station on Ellis Island , located near Bedloe’s Island in Upper New York Bay. Between 1892 and 1954, some 12 million immigrants were processed on Ellis Island before receiving permission to enter the United States.

From 1900-14, during the peak years of its operation, some 5,000 to 10,000 people passed through every day. Looming above New York Harbor nearby, the Statue of Liberty provided a majestic welcome to those passing through Ellis Island. On a plaque at the entrance to the statue’s pedestal is engraved a sonnet called “The New Colossus,” written in 1883 by Emma Lazarus as part of a fundraising contest. Its most famous passage speaks to the statue’s role as a welcoming symbol of freedom and democracy for the millions of immigrants who came to America seeking a new and better life: “Give me your tired, your poor/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free/The wretched refuse of your teeming shore/Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me/I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” The Statue of Liberty Over the Years Until 1901, the U.S. Lighthouse Board operated the Statue of Liberty, as the statue’s torch represented a navigational aid for sailors. After that date, it was placed under the jurisdiction of the U.S.

War Department due to Fort Wood’s status as a still-operational army post. In 1924, the federal government made the statue a national monument, and it was transferred to the care of the National Parks Service in 1933. In 1956, Bedloe’s Island was renamed Liberty Island, and in 1965, more than a decade after its closure as a federal immigration station, Ellis Island became part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. By the early 20th century, the oxidation of the Statue of Liberty’s copper skin through exposure to rain, wind and sun had given the statue a distinctive green color, known as verdigris. In 1984, the statue was closed to the public and underwent a massive restoration in time for its centennial celebration. Even as the restoration began, the United Nations designated the Statue of Liberty as a World Heritage Site. On July 5, 1986, the Statue of Liberty reopened to the public in a centennial celebration.

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Liberty Island closed for 100 days; the Statue of Liberty itself was not reopened to visitor access until August 2004. In July 2009, the statue’s crown was again reopened to the public, though visitors must make a reservation to climb to the top of the pedestal or to the crown. Tags Statue of Liberty Origins : snopes.com Statue of Liberty Origins - - Claim: The Statue of Liberty was erected as a tribute to the accomplishments of black soldiers in the Civil War, and a black woman served as the model for Lady Liberty. FALSE Example: [Collected on the Internet, 1999] Please read this and pass this on. This is really some valuable information. Our children and so on need to know this kind of stuff. Good day, It is hard to believe that after my many years of schooling (secondary and post) the following facts about the Statue of Liberty was never taught. Hundreds of thousands if not millions of people including myself have visited the Statue of Liberty over the years but yet I'm unable to find one person who knows the true history behind the Statue - amazing.

Yes, amazing that so much important black history (such as this) is hidden from us (black and White). What makes this even worse is the fact that the current twist on history perpetuates and promotes white supremacy at the expense of black Pride. During my visit to France I saw the original Statue of Liberty. However there was a difference, the statue in France is black. "You learn something new everyday!" The Statue of Liberty was originally a black woman, but, as memory serves, it was because the model was black. In a book called "The Journey of The Songhai People", according to Dr. Jim Haskins, a member of the National Education Advisory Committee of the Liberty-Ellis Island Committee, professor of English at the University of Florida, and prolific black author, points out that what stimulated the original idea for that 151 foot statue in the harbor. He says that the idea for the creation of the statue initially was the part that black soldiers played in the ending of black African Bondage in the United States.

It was created in the mind of the French historian Edouard de Laboulaye, chairman of the French Antislavery Society, who, together with sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, proposed to the French government that the people of France present to the people of the United States through the American Abolitionist Society, the gift of a Statue of Liberty in recognition of the fact that black soldiers won the Civil War in the United States. It was widely known then that it was black soldiers who played the pivotal role in winning the war, and this gift would be a tribute to their prowess. Suzanne Nakasian, director of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island Foundations' National Ethnic Campaign said that the black Americans' direct connection to Lady Liberty is unknown to the majority of Americans, black or WHITE. When the statue was presented to the US. Minister to France in 1884, it is said that he demonstrated that the dominant view of the broken shackles would be offensive to a US South, because since the statue was a reminder of blacks winning their freedom. It was a reminder to a beaten South of the ones who caused their defeat, their despised former captives. Documents of Proof: 1.

You may go and see the original model of the Statue of Liberty, with the broken chains at her feet and in her left hand. Go to the Museum of the City of N.Y, Fifth Avenue and 103rd Street May 18, 1986. 3. The dark original face of the Statue of Liberty can be seen in the NY Post June 17, 1986, also the Post stated the reason for the broken chains at her feet. 4. Finally, you may check with the French Mission or the French Embassy at the U.N or in Washington, DC and ask for some original French material on the Statue of Liberty, including the Bartholdi original model. You can call in September [phone number deleted]. Please pass this information along! Knowledge is Power! Variations: Versions of this item circulated in July 2012 included the following graphic with text claiming that it was the "original" Statue of Liberty, which was replaced with the current version after it was "refused by America." The image is actually a photo of the Lady Liberty statue at the Agrément roundabout on the Caribbean island of St.

Maarten, which was sculpted by Theodore Bonev in 2007 to commemorate the 159th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. It has no connection (other than a thematic one) to the Statue of Liberty in New York. Origins: This item is difficult to explicate because it makes so many (sometimes conflicting) claims, so we'll distill its essence to four primary claims and discuss those: The model for the Statue of Liberty (i.e., the woman who posed for the sculptor, or whose portrait the sculptor used) was a black woman. The Statue of Liberty was intended to depict a woman with features representative of the "black race." The Statue of Liberty was created as a tribute to black Civil War soldiers. The Statue of Liberty was intended to symbolize the end of slavery in the USA. Of these claims, the first three are demonstrably untrue; the final one may have some small element of truth to it. We'll begin by examining some of the specific pieces of evidence offered in the piece quoted above: In a book called "The Journey of The Songhai People", according to Dr.

Jim Haskins, a member of the National Education Advisory Committee of the Liberty-Ellis Island Committee, professor of English at the University of Florida, and prolific black author, points out that what stimulated the original idea for that 151 foot statue in the harbor. He says that the idea for the creation of the statue initially was the part that black soldiers played in the ending of black African bondage in the United States. We did, and we found that, in anticipation of the upcoming July 4 centennial celebration of the Statue of Liberty (and the culmination of a four-year, 66-million-dollar effort to repair and restore the famous monument), The New York Times magazine on that date was chock full of articles about the statue. None of them said anything even remotely supportive of the claims made here, however; in fact, they said quite the opposite. As Richard Bernstein, The New York Times' Paris bureau chief noted in that issue, the statue was intended as a tribute to both the American achievement of and French hopes for a nation of republic and liberty; in a sense, it was meant as an abstract symbol of the idealized future of France just as much as the realized past of America.

Creating a tribute to those who fought the Civil War (or, even more specifically, to black Civil War soldiers) was far too concrete (and too distinctly American) a concept to have been a part of their plans. The dark original face of the Statue of Liberty can be seen in the NY Post June 17, 1986, also the Post stated the reason for the broken chains at her feet. Yes, the "original" face of the Statue of Liberty was dark, for the simple reason that the materials of which it was made were originally dark. Eric Fettmann, the author of the New York Post article cited above, wrote: As for the photo of the supposed "African" face featured in The Post, the picture is not — as incorrectly captioned — an early model, but shows the actual face that now stands over New York Harbor. The photo, as shown in Marvin Trachtenberg's marvelous 1976 architectural history of the statue, shows Liberty's head during construction on what was then Bedloe's Island shortly before its dedication in October 1886.

It appears "black" for a simple reason: the copper statue's original color was not the familiar green we see today — the patina that naturally occurs over the course of repeated exposure to the elements — but a much darker orange-red bronze. (Actually, as the oxidation process continued, the statue first turned pitch black before reaching its current green hue, as Bartholdi knew it would.) The reason that Fettmann offers for the broken chains is that Bartholdi "adapted the statue from a failed project to construct a giant lighthouse at the entrance to the Suez Canal in Egypt"; Bartholdi's original design for the lighthouse included a female figure with the broken chains of slavery at her feet. Finally, you may check with the French Mission or the French Embassy at the U.N or in Washington, DC and ask for some original French material on the Statue of Liberty, including the Bartholdi original model. The Embassy of France located in Washington would prefer not to be contacted by those looking for this 'original French material on the Statue of Liberty' because they can't help them.

According to its Press and Information Service, "We constantly get calls from people requesting for information [on this issue], and we do not have reliable information to give them." The statue wasn't meant as a tribute to black Civil War soldiers, nor were the women who modeled for it black. Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, then a young French artist, was commissioned in 1865 by Edouard de Laboulaye and a group of influential French citizens to work on a monument to liberty, intended as a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States of America. Most sources agree that Bartholdi used his mistress (later his wife) and mother as Lady Liberty's models, with his mother serving as the inspiration for the face and his wife for the torso. Neither of these women was black. As for the purpose of the statue, an 1879 design patent granted to Bartholdi contained his description of the work as "a commemorative monument of the independence of the United States." There was no mention of black soldiers or the Civil War.

Rather, the description specified "the independence of the United States," an event which predated the Civil War — and the abolition of slavery — by a few generations. Dr. Haskins holds that the impetus behind the Statue's creation was the abolition of slavery in America. Possibly France did not feel America deserved a monument dedicated to freedom as long as a significant portion of its population was enslaved. That is not to say the Statue was dedicated to the abolition of slavery (else Liberty's tablet would surely have been emblazoned with the date of emancipation, not the date of its formal break from Britain), but that this happy change of affairs inspired some of those behind the gift to support the project. One of the "Documents of Proof" listed in the article, the magazine section of The New York 18 May 1986, states: The creators of the Statue of Liberty knew precisely what the message was. This group of high-minded French intellectuals, neither red revolutionaries nor white-ribboned monarchists, saw an inspirational model for France in the free institutions of the United States; they planned and designed the statue for several reasons, but chiefly to convey a subtle but unmistakable signal of republicanism to their countrymen.

"The creators of the statue wanted to praise the United States for its liberty, while at the same time suggesting to the French people that conditions were not the same in France, where the system of government was a kind of Caesarism," says Pierre Provoyeur, curator of the Museums of France and general commissioner of the French exhibitions for the statue's centennial celebration. As a gift to the people of the United States, the statue was a kind of subterfuge, a means of promoting from outside France a political alternative for France itself. The plan worked, but the statue so evolved into an American landmark and a universal symbol that it requires an act of historical imagination for today's Frenchmen to recognize in her an image of their own past and their own political struggles. If the statue had been intended as a tribute to prowess of black soldiers, the choice of a female form was a rather curious one. All the combatants in the Civil War (and every other war of the era) were male, and women were not exactly the gender associated with the values of freedom and liberty in either the United States or France at that time.

As Marina Warner notes in her book Monuments & Maidens: The Allegory of the Female Form: When we look at Liberty in female shape, we are not being invited to consider the freedom of women in classical times, or in the years when the statue was made and presented to the United States by the French Republic. In neither country did women enjoy equal rights, let alone special access to social and political liberties. Indeed, France was one of the last European nations to give women the vote. In fact, the only thing said about the model on which the statue was based in The New York Times that day comes up in an excerpt from Warner's book: Although Bartholdi's colossus has a stern, even implacable face, she remains unmistakably female, and indeed has been said to resemble Bartholdi's own mother, by all accounts a grim, overbearing woman who never overcame the outrage she felt when the family home in Colmar, Alsace, was occupied by the victorious Prussians in the war of 1870.

Another excerpt from Warner indicates that the whole "the model for the Statue of Liberty was a black woman" may stem from its being confused with an earlier, abandoned project Bartholdi adapted to his new assignment: Bartholdi's statue gives only one explicit reference to the history of the United States: the date - July 4, 1776 - in Roman numerals on the tablet she holds in her left hand. Perhaps this was because the Statue of Liberty did not originate with the plan for New York, but with a proposal Bartholdi made in the 1860's to the Khedive of Egypt, that he should build a huge lighthouse at the mouth of the Suez Canal. The maquettes of this project, "Egypt Bringing Light to Asia," were directly inspired by the ancient Pharos of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. They still exist, and they reveal that had the Khedive agreed, the Statue of Liberty - in an Egyptian wig - would now be standing at the gates of the Middle East, not the New World. Whatever the color of the person who served as the model for the Statue of Liberty may have been, the statue itself is colorless.

It does not represent a particular color of person any more than the Michelin Tire Man does, and the idea it symbolizes applies to people of all colors, whether or not its creators intended it that way. Just as the attitudes of people who lived hundreds of years ago cannot require us look upon others as inferiors today, neither can they magically elevate the status of those who may still be the objects of discrimination. That is a task for those of us who live here and now. Barbara "the man who sought Liberty's talents" Mikkelson Last updated: 5 July 2012 Sources: Ellis Island History - The Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island Ellis Island History Ellis Island History Ellis Island History On this page you will find a detailed history of Ellis Island. The below text details the actual origin of the island as a location for an immigration hub, all the way to its current status as a national monument.

Feel free to jump forward to specific sections, by clicking on a section title in the table of contents below: 1965: Ellis Island Dedicated as a National Monument The Origin of the Island From 1892 to 1954, over twelve million immigrants entered the United States through the portal of Ellis Island, a small island in New York Harbor. Ellis Island is located in the upper bay just off the New Jersey coast, within the shadow of the Statue of Liberty. Through the years, this gateway to the new world was enlarged from its original 3.3 acres to 27.5 acres mostly by landfill obtained from ship ballast and possibly excess earth from the construction of the New York City subway system. Before being designated as the site of the first Federal immigration station by President Benjamin Harrison in 1890, Ellis Island had a varied history. The local Indian tribes had called it "Kioshk" or Gull Island. Due to its rich and abundant oyster beds and plentiful and profitable shad runs, it was known as Oyster Island for many generations during the Dutch and English colonial periods.

By the time Samuel Ellis became the island's private owner in the 1770s, the island had been called Kioshk, Oyster, Dyre, Bucking and Anderson's Island. In this way, Ellis Island developed from a sandy island that barely rose above the high tide mark, into a hanging site for pirates, a harbor fort, ammunition and ordinance depot named Fort Gibson, and finally into an immigration station. From Military Fort to National Gateway From 1794 to 1890 (pre-immigration station period), Ellis Island played a mostly uneventful but still important military role in United States history. When the British occupied New York City during the duration of the Revolutionary War, its large and powerful naval fleet was able to sail unimpeded directly into New York Harbor. Therefore, it was deemed critical by the United States Government that a series of coastal fortifications in New York Harbor be constructed just prior to the War of 1812. After much legal haggling over ownership of the island, the Federal government purchased Ellis Island from New York State in 1808.

Ellis Island was approved as a site for fortifications and on it was constructed a parapet for three tiers of circular guns, making the island part of the new harbor defense system that included Castle Clinton at the Battery, Castle Williams on Governor's Island, Fort Wood on Bedloe's Island and two earthworks forts at the entrance to New York Harbor at the Verrazano Narrows. The fort at Ellis Island was named Fort Gibson in honor of a brave officer killed during the War of 1812. Immigration Policy Embraces the Masses Prior to 1890, the individual states (rather than the Federal government) regulated immigration into the United States. Castle Garden in the Battery (originally known as Castle Clinton) served as the New York State immigration station from 1855 to 1890 and approximately eight million immigrants, mostly from Northern and Western Europe, passed through its doors. These early immigrants came from nations such as England, Ireland, Germany and the Scandinavian countries and constituted the first large wave of immigrants that settled and populated the United States.

Throughout the 1800s and intensifying in the latter half of the 19th century, ensuing political instability, restrictive religious laws and deteriorating economic conditions in Europe began to fuel the largest mass human migration in the history of the world. It soon became apparent that Castle Garden was ill-equipped and unprepared to handle the growing numbers of immigrants arriving yearly. Unfortunately, compounding the problems of the small facility were the corruption and incompetence found to be commonplace at Castle Garden. The Federal government intervened and constructed a new Federally-operated immigration station on Ellis Island. While the new immigration station on Ellis Island was under construction, the Barge Office at the Battery was used for the processing of immigrants. The new structure on Ellis Island, built of "Georgia pine" opened on January 1, 1892. Annie Moore, a teenaged Irish girl, accompanied by her two brothers, entered history and a new country as she was the very first immigrant to be processed at Ellis Island. Over the next 62 years, more than 12 million were to follow through this port of entry.

Ellis Island Burns and Years of Records Lost While there were many reasons to immigrate to America, no reason could be found for what would occur only five years after the Ellis Island Immigration Station opened. During the early morning hours of June 15, 1897, a fire on Ellis Island burned the immigration station completely to the ground. Although no lives were lost, many years of Federal and State immigration records dating back to 1855 burned along with the pine buildings that failed to protect them. The United States Treasury quickly ordered the immigration facility be replaced under one very important condition: all future structures built on Ellis Island had to be fireproof. On December 17, 1900, the new Main Building was opened and 2,251 immigrants were received that day. Journeying By Ship to the Land of Liberty While most immigrants entered the United States through New York Harbor (the most popular destination of steamship companies), others sailed into many ports such as Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, San Francisco, Savannah, Miami, and New Orleans. The great steamship companies like White Star, Red Star, Cunard and Hamburg-America played a significant role in the history of Ellis Island and immigration in general.

First and second class passengers who arrived in New York Harbor were not required to undergo the inspection process at Ellis Island. Instead, these passengers underwent a cursory inspection aboard ship, the theory being that if a person could afford to purchase a first or second class ticket, they were less likely to become a public charge in America due to medical or legal reasons. The Federal government felt that these more affluent passengers would not end up in institutions, hospitals or become a burden to the state. However, first and second class passengers were sent to Ellis Island for further inspection if they were sick or had legal problems. This scenario was far different for "steerage" or third class passengers. These immigrants traveled in crowded and often unsanitary conditions near the bottom of steamships with few amenities, often spending up to two weeks seasick in their bunks during rough Atlantic Ocean crossings. Upon arrival in New York City, ships would dock at the Hudson or East River piers. First and second class passengers would disembark, pass through Customs at the piers and were free to enter the United States. The steerage and third class passengers were transported from the pier by ferry or barge to Ellis Island where everyone would undergo a medical and legal inspection.

A Record Year for New Americans During the early 1900s, immigration officials mistakenly thought that the peak wave of immigration had already passed. Actually, immigration was on the rise, and in 1907 more people immigrated to the United States than any other year, a record that would hold for the next 80 years. Approximately 1.25 million immigrants were processed at Ellis Island in that one year. Consequently, masons and carpenters were constantly struggling to enlarge and build new facilities to accommodate this greater than anticipated influx of new immigrants. Hospital buildings, dormitories, contagious disease wards and kitchens all were feverishly constructed between 1900 and 1915. As the United States entered World War I, immigration to the United States decreased. Numerous suspected enemy aliens throughout the United States were brought to Ellis Island under custody. Between 1918 and 1919, detained suspected enemy aliens were transferred from Ellis Island to other locations in order for the United States Navy with the Army Medical Department to take over the island complex for the duration of the war. During this time, regular inspection of arriving immigrants was conducted onboard ship or at the docks.

At the end of World War I, a big "Red Scare" spread across America and thousands of suspected alien radicals were interned at Ellis Island. Hundreds were later deported based upon the principal of guilt by association with any organizations advocating revolution against the Federal government. In 1920, Ellis Island reopened as an immigration receiving station and 225,206 immigrants were processed that year. Arrival at the Island and Initial Inspection If the immigrant's papers were in order and they were in reasonably good health, the Ellis Island inspection process would last approximately three to five hours. The inspections took place in the Registry Room (or Great Hall), where doctors would briefly scan every immigrant for obvious physical ailments. Doctors at Ellis Island soon became very adept at conducting these "six second physicals." By 1916, it was said that a doctor could identify numerous medical conditions (ranging from anemia to goiters to varicose veins) just by glancing at an immigrant. The ship's manifest log, that had been filled out back at the port of embarkation, contained the immigrant's name and his/her answers to twenty-nine questions.

This document was used by the legal inspectors at Ellis Island to cross-examine the immigrant during the legal (or primary) inspection. The two agencies responsible for processing immigrants at Ellis Island were the United States Public Health Service and the Bureau of Immigration (later known as the Immigration and Naturalization Service - INS). On March 1, 2003, the Immigration and Naturalization Service was restructured and included into three separate bureaus as part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. For more information on these three bureaus and their mission, visit their websites at the following: Bureau of Customs & Border Protection Despite the island's reputation as an "Island of Tears", the vast majority of immigrants were treated courteously and respectfully, and were free to begin their new lives in America after only a few short hours on Ellis Island. Only two percent of the arriving immigrants were excluded from entry. The two main reasons why an immigrant would be excluded were if a doctor diagnosed that the immigrant had a contagious disease that would endanger the public health or if a legal inspector thought the immigrant was likely to become a public charge or an illegal contract laborer.

Immigration Laws and Regulations Evolve From the very beginning of the mass migration that spanned the years 1880 to 1924, an increasingly vociferous group of politicians and nativists demanded increased restrictions on immigration. Laws and regulations such as the Chinese Exclusion Act, the Alien Contract Labor Law and the institution of a literacy test barely stemmed this flood tide of new immigrants. Actually, the death knell for Ellis Island, as a major entry point for new immigrants, began to toll in 1921. It reached a crescendo between 1921 with the passage of the Quota Laws and 1924 with the passage of the National Origins Act. These restrictions were based upon a percentage system according to the number of ethnic groups already living in the United States as per the 1890 and 1910 Census. It was an attempt to preserve the ethnic flavor of the "old immigrants", those earlier settlers primarily from Northern and Western Europe. The perception existed that the newly arriving immigrants mostly from Southern and Eastern Europe were somehow inferior to those who arrived earlier. After World War I, the United States began to emerge as a potential world power.

United States embassies were established in countries all over the world, and prospective immigrants now applied for their visas at American consulates in their countries of origin. The necessary paperwork was completed at the consulate and a medical inspection was also conducted there. After 1924, the only people who were detained at Ellis Island were those who had problems with their paperwork, as well as war refugees and displaced persons. Ellis Island still remained open for many years and served a multitude of purposes. During World War II, enemy merchant seamen were detained in the baggage and dormitory building. The United States Coast Guard also trained about 60,000 servicemen there. In November of 1954, the last detainee, a Norwegian merchant seaman named Arne Peterssen, was released, and Ellis Island officially closed. Ellis Island Dedicated as a National Monument In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson declared Ellis Island part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. Ellis Island was opened to the public on a limited basis between 1976 and 1984. Starting in 1984, Ellis Island underwent a major restoration, the largest historic restoration in U.S. history.

The $160 million dollar project was funded by donations made to The Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. in partnership with the National Park Service. The Main Building was reopened to the public on September 10, 1990, as the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. With the completion of the Peopling of America Center® on May 20, 2015, and the entire story of American immigration being told, the museum was renamed the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration. Today, the museum receives almost 2 million visitors annually. Donate Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty need your support. Donate now to help preserve the islands for future generations. $ have an account? Create a free account to search for family arrival records and learn more about Lady Liberty and Ellis Island. Be a part of history! Statue Of Liberty National Monument (U.S. National Park Service) Contact Us Liberty Enlightening the World "The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World" was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the United States and is recognized as a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886.

It was designated as a National Monument in 1924. Employees of the National Park Service have been caring for the colossal copper statue since 1933. The Statue of Liberty Was Originally a Muslim Woman | Smart News | Smithsonian The Statue of Liberty Was Originally a Muslim Woman "The New Colossus" was actually born in Egypt (R. Ian Lloyd/Masterfile/Corbis) smithsonian.com November 24, 2015 The United States has debated immigration since the country's founding, and the Statue of Liberty—a potent symbol for immigrants—is often invoked as an argument for why we should usher in those who seek safety and opportunity with open arms. A little-known fact about Lady Liberty adds an intriguing twist to today's debate about refugees from the Muslim world: As pointed out by The Daily Beast’s Michael Daly in a recent op-ed , the statue itself was originally intended to represent a female Egyptian peasant as a Colossus of Rhodes for the Industrial Age. Related Content France’s Top Court Overturns Burkini Ban That might be surprising to people more familiar with the statue’s French roots than its Arab ones.

After all, the statue’s structure was designed by Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel (yes, that Eiffel), and Lady Liberty was given to the United States by France for its centennial to celebrate the alliance of the two countries formed during the French Revolution. The statue’s designer, Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, was also French, but he found inspiration in a very different place: Egypt. In 1855, he visited Nubian monuments at Abu Simbel , which feature tombs guarded by gigantic colossus figures. Bartholdi became fascinated by the ancient architecture, developing what the National Park Service calls a “passion for large-scale public monuments and colossal structures.” Eventually, he channeled that passion into a proposal for the inauguration of the Suez Canal. Bartholdi envisioned a colossal monument featuring a robe-clad woman representing Egypt to stand at Port Said, the city at the northern terminus of the canal in Egypt. To prep for this undertaking, Barry Moreno, author of multiple books about the statue, writes that Bartholdi studied art like the Colossus, honing the concept for a figure called Libertas who would stand at the canal.

“Taking the form of a veiled peasant woman,” writes Moreno, “the statue was to stand 86 feet high, and its pedestal was to rise to a height of 48 feet.” Early models of the statue were called “Egypt Carrying the Light to Asia.” Edward Berenson, author of Statue of Liberty: A Translatlantic Story, writes that Bartholdi’s concept morphed from “a gigantic female fellah, or Arab peasant” into “a colossal goddess.” But Egypt, which had invested enormous amounts of time and money into the landmark canal, was not as eager about Bartholdi’s idea. Isma’il Pasha, the reigning khedive, rejected the plan as too costly. Eventually, a 180-foot tall lighthouse was installed at Port Said instead. But Bartholdi was not discouraged. He eventually repurposed his concept into “Liberty Enlightening the World” —the official name for the statue that has been overlooking New York Harbor since 1886. Like this article?

The copper Statue of Liberty as it first appeared in New York in the 1880s | Daily Mail Online comments It’s one of America’s greatest landmarks - a beacon that has welcomed countless millions of immigrants into New York and now appears on postcards and images sent around the world. But what you may not know about the Statue of Liberty is that it hasn’t always been green - as it was made with an exterior of copper and originally had a far more shiny appearance. Lady Liberty is made of copper 3/32 inches thick, which is the same as putting two pennies together, but it has naturally oxidised over time to form the green ‘patina’ coating. Different: The Statue of Liberty in New York hasn't always been green - as it was made with an exterior of copper and originally had a much more shiny appearance (as shown in this mocked-up edited image) Old pictures: These adverts for Liebig's beef extract, left, and Superior Silk thread, right, were both issued soon after the statue was built in the 1880s and show Lady Liberty in her original form This coating actually protects the copper behind it from naturally wearing away.

But the copper, along with the statue’s height, also makes her a welcoming target for lightning strikes. The current replacement torch was installed 25 years ago and is a copper flame covered in 24 carat gold, according to the National Parks Service website. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share The statue, which is located on Liberty Island in New York, will be closed for a year at the end of next month as it undergoes a $27million renovation to redevelop the interior. But the renovations are limited to the monument, Liberty Island will remain open and the statue itself will be mostly unobstructed from view, officials said. Nowadays: The statue, which is located on Liberty Island in New York, will be closed for a year at the end of next month as it undergoes a $27.25million renovation to redevelop the interior The National Parks Service, which manages the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island, said it will close the monument on October 28, after the 125th anniversary of its dedication. Joseph A. Natoli Construction Corporation of Pine Brook, New Jersey, will install improved stairways and upgrade electrical and fire suppression systems, elevators and bathrooms.

The statue was closed after 9/11 for security precautions, but the base reopened in 2004 after a $20million security upgrade and the observation deck at the top of the crown reopened in 2009. About 3.5 million people visit every year. It was built in the 1880s and was a gift from France. 10 Things You Didn't Know About the Statue of Liberty | Mental Floss 10 Things You Didn't Know About the Statue of Liberty National Park Service Like us on Facebook July 4th is a big day for the U.S.—not only is it Independence Day, but the Statue of Liberty reopens for essentially the first time since 2011. After her 125th birthday party in 2011, the statue was closed for an interior facelift, including new elevators, staircases and restrooms. She was literally open for a single day—October 28, 2012—before closing again due to Hurricane Sandy. Though the statue survived the storm unscathed, the island itself suffered a lot of damage, and so Lady Liberty has remained closed.

To celebrate the reopening—and Independence Day, of course—let's revisit a few little-known Liberty facts. 1. The Statue’s dedication inspired another uniquely New York institution: the ticker-tape parade. New York office workers got the idea to unfurl financial ribbons from windows on October 29, 1886, the day President Grover Cleveland presided over the dedication ceremony. The dedication is pictured above—though it was indeed a foggy day, the haze you see is the smoke from the military salute. 2. Up until Hurricane Sandy hit last year, David Luchsinger and his wife were residents of a very, very exclusive neighborhood: Liberty Island. As the superintendent of the Statue of Liberty, Luchsinger is one of a select few who have ever called the island home. The National Park Ranger selected to be the seer of the statue is provided with free housing—a small brick house, located on the other side of the island. The Luchsingers’ famous neighbor is hidden by trees, believe it or not. Unfortunately, the cozy little house sustained a lot of damage during Sandy. There’s been some speculation that Luchsinger may be the last non-colossus Liberty Island resident ever. 3.

The star-shaped Fort Wood, which now serves as part of the statue’s pedestal, was home to military families from 1818 until the mid-1930s. These military families often included young children like Pete Bluhm (who was 83 when this article ran in the New York Times last year), who remembered a Fourth of July where G.I.s bounced bottle rockets off of Lady Liberty’s posterior. Another man, James Hill, recalled that he and his younger sister would drop baseballs from Liberty’s crown to see how high they would bounce. Other Liberty Island kids said they climbed to the torch tower and made it rock back and forth. 4. Once upon a time, it wasn’t just island kids who could climb to the tip of the torch. Tourists were able to climb up to the precarious perch until 1916, when those privileges were revoked in response to the Black Tom incident. Around 2 a.m. on July 30, Black Tom, once an island in the New York Harbor, was rocked by the explosion of two million tons of war materials such as TNT, black powder, shrapnel and dynamite.

The blast was the equivalent of a 5.5-on-the-Richter Scale earthquake; shrapnel flew across the night sky and embedded itself in the Statue of Liberty. Windows shattered as far as 25 miles away. It was later determined that German agents intent on stopping the munitions from getting to their English enemies had ignited the supply. The Statue of Liberty’s torch was closed, partially due to infrastructure damage from the blast and partially just out of concern for terrorism. It’s been closed ever since—but you can still appreciate the view from the top with this TorchCam , installed in 2011. 5. The seven spikes radiating from the Lady’s crown aren’t actually part of the crown. They’re meant to be a halo, also known as an aureole. The rays were temporarily removed from her crown in 1938 so their rusted supports could be replaced. 6. The Statue of Liberty was supposed to have a sister statue and lighthouse in Egypt. Sculptor Frederic Bartholdi offered to make Egypt a large piece for the entrance to the Suez Canal called “Egypt Carrying Light to Asia,” which would have featured a veiled Egyptian peasant woman holding a lantern.

The Egyptian khedive declined. 7. When the statue first arrived from France, she was the color of a shiny new penny. It took roughly 20 years for Liberty to patina to the greenish-blue hue she is today. 8. Frederic Bartholdi has trumped any Mother’s Day gift you could ever come up with: He used his mother, Charlotte, as the model for the most recognized statue in the world. This was first discovered in 1876, when Bartholdi invited French Senator Jules Bozerian to his box at the opera. When Bozerian pulled back the curtain to step into the box, he was shocked to find a real-life version of the Statue of Liberty sitting there in the box. When he said so to Bartholdi, the sculptor smiled: “But do you know who this lady is? She’s my mother,” he told the senator. 9.

According to The Statue of Liberty Encyclopedia, these are common nicknames for “Everybody’s Gal”: America’s Freedom, America’s Great Lady, Aunt Liberty, Bartholdi’s Daughter, Giant Goddess, Grande Dame, Green Goddess, The Lady Higher Up, Lady of the Harbor, Lady on a Pedestal, Lady with a Torch, Mother of Exiles, Mother of Freedom, Saint Liberty, and the Spirit of American Independence. 10. "The Statue of Liberty,” is, in fact, a nickname. Bartholdi’s name for his gift was “Liberty Enlightening the World.” More from mental_floss...

Statue of Liberty Facts | GnosticWarrior.com by Moe | Nov 25, 2015 | Gods & Goddesses | 28 comments The Statue of Isis was first known as Liberty Enlightening the World , but is now more commonly called, the "Statue of Liberty." However, we must ask ourselves, "Is she truly enlightening the world, or is she actually the Goddess who keeps our illumination in the shadows as she holds the light above in her torch, only to hide the truth from the profane (uninitiated) of the abyss (sea of humanity) who are kept in the dark?" A secret that keeps most of the population of the United States in complete ignorance as they are cast under the wicked spell of Isis. A Goddess of both Heaven and Hell. The world-famous statue is located in the New York harbor, and was presented as a gift in the year 1884 from French Freemasons of the Grand Orient to their Mason Bro's in the United States. The statue was designed by well-known French Freemasons, sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi , displaying the Hidden Hand of Freemasonry in the image below and Engineer, Gustave Eiffel (A.G.

Eiffel). SYMBOLISM OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY (ISIS) The Statue of Isis sits on a tiny island called 'Minnisais,' meaning in the Indian language, "small island"; and her foundation is an 11-pointed star. The most sacred numbers of the occult are: 3, 6, 9, 11, 13, and multiples thereof, especially 22, 33, 44, 55, 66, 77. When you multiply number 11 by the perfect number 3, you get the number 33. As most of us all know, 33 is a Master Number (Master Teacher), that is the the numerical equivalent of AMEN: 1+13+5+14=33. Amen is the God of Truth and the 33 represents Christ consciousness . However, you will quickly find out that the number eleven is far from the number 33 and Christ consciousness. For example, the number 11 exceeds number ten, which is the number of the ten-commandments of Moses, and it falls short of the number Twelve, which is of grace and perfection.

11 correlates with the letter K, which represents the Kether (crown). Here are are 10 qlippa that are opposite the 10 sephiroth; where the 11 comes in is at Thaumiel which is the "twin gods", representing duality in place of Kether's, meaning "crown" or "topmost" of the Sephirot, and the "regal crown" of the Sephirot. The number 11 is represented in the eleven pointed star that the Statue of Liberty sits on which is called a hendecagram , it represents the Qliphoth. This literally means "Peels", "Shells" or "Husks" of the Tree of Knowledge. In Jewish Kabbalistic cosmology , the Kelipot are metaphorical "shells" surrounding holiness . They are spiritual obstacles receiving their existence from God , only in an external, rather than internal manner. Isis not only holds the light above humanity, but she also is the Goddess of duality, who represents evil or impure spiritual forces.

This eleven pointed star and the number 11 are the representation of evil or impure spiritual forces in Jewish mysticism , which is adverse to the Sephiroth of the Tree of Life in the Qabbalah. Hence, Isis is the spiritual obstacle and Goddess keeping humanity from knowing THYSELF or Gnosis. Please also note that the {11/2} star polygon is used as a symbol for the Aleister Crowley Foundation . You get an 11 pointed star which first, pi is approximately 22/7, and second, for small angles, tan a, a and sin a are all approximately equal. Therefore tan pi/22 = 1/7, approximately. IS SHE A GODDESS OF HEAVEN (CHRIST) OR HELL (BABYLON)? The number eleven is the unseen number that co-relates others invisibly from the center, and is the number of Christ or Jesus in Gematria because he is the invisible Force behind all of Creation. The Chemical Element, Sodium has an atomic number of 11.

The secrets of salt are found in Matthew 5:13-16 - “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. (Statue of Isis) “You are the light of the world (she holds the torch of light). A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Isis was sometimes known as Maut (Mut) , the mother goddess who was considered a primal deity, associated with the waters (Chaos/Abyss) from which everything was born through parthenogenesis . That is why the Statue of Liberty was literally placed in the most Eastern location of the United States; where the sun rises in the water on a tiny island at the entrance to New York Harbor, which is not only the Eastern gateway to the U.S., but it is also the financial capital of the world.

The goddess Isis portrayed as a woman, wearing a vulture headdress shaped like a throne in which she holds the light of the sun disk with her cow's horns. Her headdress represents her vulture like personality, and the sun she has captured in her horns represents the light that she holds, or keeps hidden in wait for her beloved husband Osiris. The son of Osiris was Horus, who represents light and truth. After the death of her husband Osiris, their son Horus's right eye was put away and he was placed on his mother's breast to be suckled until the time and day came, when Horus would redeem his right eye and forever be weened from his mother; to be reborn in order to lift her veil and bring forth the light and truth in the Apocalypse (lifting of the veil). These events we are currently witnessing in our lifetimes with articles and creations such as this. Isis was known to the Greeks as the Goddess with ten thousand names, in which Hecate is one of her many titles.

In the magical papyri of Ptolemaic Egypt she is called the ‘ she-dog’ or ‘bitch .’ Lucan says, “We have received into our Roman temples thine Isis, and divinities half-dog.” Notice the image below and how she also holds the torch similar to the Statue of Liberty (Isis). Hecate was also associated with ghosts, infernal spirits, the dead and sorcery. Shrines to Hecate were placed at doorways to both homes and cities, with the belief that it would protect from restless dead and other spirits. Hecate who is Isis may very well be the Goddess that we find in New York depicted as “The Statue of Liberty”, which was a gift of friendship from France to the people of the United States. If you look at the Statue of Liberty and the image for Hecate, you will clearly see that they look almost exactly the same. Proverbs 2:18 – For her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead. This title for Isis is associated with the dog, which also correlates with her shining symbol in the heavens known as Sothis or Sirius.

Sirius is the alpha star in the constellation of Canis Major,” the Great Dog” or more commonly known today as the “Dog Star.” In the heavens AS ABOVE at the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, this symbolic shining Dog star of Isis was aligned precisely with the sun. This would not be the first or the last time that the founding fathers of the United States, being Freemasons, had chosen this exact planetary alignment. For example, at the laying of the cornerstone of the Washington Monument for their good Mason Bro. and first President, George Washington, they had also had timed this event exactly when Sirius was aligned again with the sun. Hecate is Isis who guards New York, the financial capital of the world, from ghosts, infernal spirits, the dead and sorcery. With money being the root of almost all evil and also the biggest magic trick cast on human kind, which they are still hopelessly under this spell of Isis; it only makes sense that the whole financial world and even our own governments are concealed in the occult, which simply means “hidden.” “I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet-colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns....

And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.” 6[Page 4] Revelation 17:4-6. These saints and martyrs of Jesus are in this same book symbolized by another woman—“a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars”—who “fled into the wilderness” 7[Page 4] Revelation 12:1, 6, 14. while this terrible woman on the scarlet-colored beast is doing all in her power utterly to “wear out the saints of the Most High.” The condition as thus revealed, is woman against woman—Church against Church: a corrupt Church opposed to the pure Church.

Related Posts Statue History - The Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island Statue History Preserving the Statue for Future Generations Engineering, Construction, and Crossing the Atlantic Frenchman Edouard de Laboulaye first proposed the idea of a monument for the United States in 1865. Ten years later sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was commissioned to design a sculpture with 1876 in mind for completion, to commemorate the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence. The Statue was named “Liberty Enlightening the World” and was a joint effort between America and France. It was agreed that the American people were to build the pedestal, and the French people were responsible for the Statue and its assembly here in the United States. However, lack of funds was a problem on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. In France, public fees, various forms of entertainment, and a lottery were among the methods used to raise funds. In the United States, benefit theatrical events, art exhibitions, auctions and prizefights assisted in providing needed funds. Poet Emma Lazarus wrote her famous sonnet “The New Colossus” in 1883 for the art and literary auction to raise funds for the Statue's pedestal.

Plan Your Visit Today And Experience History Meanwhile in France, Bartholdi required the assistance of an engineer to address structural issues associated with designing such a colossal copper sculpture. Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (designer of the Eiffel Tower) was commissioned to design the massive iron pylon and secondary skeletal framework which allows the Statue's copper skin to move independently yet stand upright. Back in America, fundraising for the pedestal was going particularly slowly, so Joseph Pulitzer opened up the editorial pages of his newspaper, "The World," to support the fundraising effort. Pulitzer used his newspaper to criticize both the rich who had failed to finance the pedestal construction and the middle class who were content to rely upon the wealthy to provide the funds. Pulitzer's campaign of harsh criticism was successful in motivating the people of America to donate. Architect Richard Morris Hunt designed the Statue of Liberty's granite pedestal in 1884, donating his fee to help fund the Statue. Financing for the pedestal was completed in August 1885, and pedestal construction was finished in April 1886.

The Statue was completed in France in July 1884 and arrived in New York Harbor in June 1885 onboard the French frigate "Isere." In transit, the Statue was reduced to 350 individual pieces and packed in 214 crates. The Statue was reassembled on her new pedestal in four months’ time. On October 28, 1886, President Grover Cleveland oversaw the dedication of the Statue of Liberty in front of thousands of spectators. She was a centennial gift ten years late. The Rich History of Liberty Island The story of the Statue of Liberty and her island has been one of change. With the placing of “The New Colossus” on a plaque in the pedestal in 1903, Lady Liberty’s significance grew as an inspiration to immigrants who sailed passed her on their way to America. The Statue was placed upon a granite pedestal inside the courtyard of the star-shaped walls of Fort Wood (which had been completed for the War of 1812). The United States Lighthouse Board had responsibility for the operation of the Statue of Liberty until 1901, when the care and operation of the Statue was placed under the War Department.

A Presidential Proclamation declared Fort Wood (and the Statue of Liberty within it) a National Monument on October 15, 1924, and the monument's boundary was set at the outer edge of Fort Wood. In 1933, the care and administration of the National Monument was transferred to the National Park Service. On September 7, 1937, jurisdiction was enlarged to encompass all of Bedloe's Island and in 1956, the island's name was changed to Liberty Island. On May 11, 1965, Ellis Island was also transferred to the National Park Service and became part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. Preserving the Statue for Future Generations In May of 1982, President Ronald Reagan appointed Lee Iacocca, Chairman of Chrysler Corporation, to head up a private sector effort to restore the Statue of Liberty. Fundraising began for the $87 million restoration under a public/private partnership between the National Park Service and The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc., to date the most successful public-private partnership in American history.

A team of French and American architects, engineers, and conservators came together to determine what was needed to ensure the Statue's preservation into the next century. In 1984, scaffolding was erected around the exterior of the Statue and construction began on the interior. Workers repaired holes in the copper skin and removed layers of paint from the interior of the copper skin and internal iron structure. They replaced the rusting iron armature bars (which joined the copper skin to the Statue's internal skeleton) with stainless steel bars. The flame and upper portion of the torch had been severely damaged by water and was replaced with an exact replica of Bartholdi's original torch, which was gilded according to Bartholdi's original plans. On July 5, 1986, the newly restored Statue reopened to the public during Liberty Weekend, which celebrated her centennial.

Question: What was the Statue of Liberty originally called?
Answer: Liberty Enlightening the World